


Purpose

by Kiraya



Category: Naruto
Genre: Jossed, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2004-11-30
Updated: 2005-07-30
Packaged: 2017-10-30 21:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraya/pseuds/Kiraya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Sasuke's slain his demons, he must find something else to motivate his existence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hunted

**Author's Note:**

> This all started with a rather morbid picture of Sasuke as described in the first chapter, holding his precious trophies, and grew from there. I have no set plan for this, and no real plot, either. It's pretty much just a series of drabbly little scenes to explore the complex relationship between Sasuke and Naruto, but especially from Sasuke's side, examining the emotional changes he experiences as he goes from being a driven man with nothing left to something resembling a normal individual. It may turn shounen-ai, and it may not. I'm just letting the characters take me where they want to go.

The lone ninja landed soundlessly on the forest floor, every sense alert for disturbances in the normal activity of the forest.

…Good. The ANBU squad that had been trailing him for the past six months, just after he'd ditched the several groups of vengeful Sound ninja who'd been chasing him, was stopped about a mile off. Hopefully, the distraction of the body he'd left there amidst the wreckage of the fight would allow his location to remain relatively unimportant until he finished here.

Unfortunately, he knew there was a Hyuuga with this group.

He'd best get this over with quickly, then.

The rogue ninja pulled the materials for the preservation jutsu from his belt pouch, putting down the gory trophies he held in his right hand almost reluctantly. He glared at them — but especially fiercely at the newer of the two, still warm.

The Mangekyou Sharingan stared back at him… or would have, if Itachi were still alive.

"Feh," said the humourlessly smiling Uchiha Sasuke, and continued his work.

He took great care in making the fire, keeping it very small, forming the genjutsu that would conceal the sight and unusual scent of the smoke with intricate slowness, releasing his chakra as gradually as possible. It wouldn't do to scream his exact location to his pursuers, now, would it?

He took just a little of the ash from the heart of the fire, drawing tiny seals on his brother's cooling forehead, and finished the jutsu. He'd first seen Ino use it on some flowers a few years back, when he'd last made one of his sporadic and surreptitious visits to Konohagakure. The jutsu had required some modification for use on flesh, as he'd learned with his first attempt, but was still so inconspicuous one had to really _look_ _ ****_for it to detect it.

Sasuke picked up his trophies, and as he prepared to put out the fire, considered his options. It would be terribly amusing if the heads of the two biggest S-class criminals in the Konoha bingo book were left on the Godaime's desk by the third. He smirked. His deeply scored hitai-ate, souvenir of his time with the Sound, would be a nice finishing touch, and then… he'd finally be free.

"Now that you've slain your demons, Uchiha Sasuke," came a voice from behind him, causing the dark-haired rogue to freeze, cursing his incompetence, "since you've no home to go back to, what's left?"

He turned to look at the speaker, the Sharingan activating by instinct. Perched in the tree branches was one Konoha ANBU, male, just a little shorter than him. Tch. Even that bastard Neji would've missed this guy, he comforted himself — the hunter-nin had cleverly positioned himself right in what would've been the Byakugan's blind angle.

So… one ANBU. Any territorial advantage he'd had was shot, because the idiot had announced his presence. In most situations, taking him down wouldn't be a problem at all, but Sasuke's chakra was dangerously low from his fight with Itachi…

…Screw it. He'd managed to kill that bastard Kabuto right after taking on Orochimaru; after Itachi, he could easily kill this punk. Especially since a single ANBU squad on your trail was nothing compared to an entire shinobi village.

He just needed to get the timing right again. Do it before reinforcements came, or he was fucked.

Sasuke licked the precious, rare Uchiha blood from his kunai, pocketed it, carefully laid his pair of severed heads on the mossy ground, and formed the seals for the Chidori.

He saw the ANBU's nails turn almost clawlike, and that jutsu he'd only see three times before, the deadly globe of chakra, whirled in a calloused palm.

Above the chirping lightning in his suddenly trembling fist, he heard the ANBU speak again in that deliciously familiar voice, dark and raspy:

"I've been waiting too long for this, Sasuke."

There was a feral grin on the last Uchiha's face. Though his revenge was gone, it seemed he had something left, after all…

He attacked.


	2. Recovery

"Criminal he may be, Tsunade-'baa-chan, but he **did** do Konoha a service by killing Orochimaru and Itachi, both of whom we've unsuccessfully hunted for years. Isn't death a bit harsh for him?"

"A criminal is a criminal, boy—"

"I'm not a—!"

"—and a ninja who betrays Konoha—"

Whispers. If he weren't hanging on the edge of consciousness, he might have been able to hear them…

A long pause, followed by a dark chuckle. "Every time I question the wisdom of choosing you to train as my successor, you surprise me with things like this. Very well, then. He's your responsibility."

He heard no more.

* * *

Flex your arms. No, they still had him tied down.

He glared balefully at the room's other occupant.

Haruno Sakura rolled her eyes and turned back to her unwilling patient. "I distinctly recall asking you not to do that, Sasuke," she said sternly, placing her hands on her hips.

The corner of his mouth twitched. Looked like she'd outgrown the silly _-kun_ thing… finally. "Release me."

"You know I can't do that." _You're lucky to be getting treatment at all, being an S-class missing-nin,_ she added silently. _Oh, Sasuke…_

The last Uchiha grunted. "Where's the moron?"

His former teammate blinked, surprised at the change of subject. "What?"

"Where's Naruto?"

Green eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"

Flex your arms. He was recovering quickly; Sakura had apparently become quite skilled with medical jutsu over the years. All the better for what he had to do. "I need to… speak with him."

The pink-haired woman snorted. "I'm sure."

That was the last word on the subject, until Sakura left. "I'll tell him you asked about him," she said as the door closed behind her.

Flex your arms. Sasuke doubted he could break these bonds even at full strength.

He waited.

* * *

Naruto came to Sasuke's room midafternoon the next day, looking as fresh as a spring morning.

Sasuke strained against his bonds, glaring death at his former teammate.

Naruto said nothing, but simply stood there, looking down at the last Uchiha impassively.

The dark-eyed man, both annoyed and unnerved by the blond's unusual composure, screamed and thrashed and hollered incoherently, hurling his rage and frustration at the vessel of the kyuubi.

An hour later, Naruto left without having said a single word.

Sore-throated Sasuke would never admit it to anyone, but after his uncharacteristic outburst he almost felt better.

Almost.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was discharged from the hospital two days later.

Eight hours after his release, he was back in the emergency room, tied to the bed again, kicking and screaming at the eerily silent man who'd subdued him after he'd incapacitated his guards.

Nine hours after his release, Uzumaki Naruto left the room without having spoken.

It was another two hours before anyone, even Sakura, could be persuaded to come and attend to his new injuries.

Uchiha Sasuke was discharged from the hospital eighteen hours later.

Four hours after that, a team of medi-nin brought him and his single guard back to the emergency room.

Ignoring the blood dripping down into his eyes and the doctors applying salve to the worse of his wounds, Uzumaki Naruto grinned somewhat idiotically at his dark-haired rival in the next bed.

The scowl worn by the battered Uchiha somehow turned itself into a selfish little smirk.

_Game on._


	3. Sentiment

Beating the living shit out of each other became the favourite hobby of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Lucky for them, it only ended with one or both of them hospitalised about once a week.

The doctors didn't see it as nearly so fortunate, however.

They were in the same room they often shared, recuperating after a particularly vicious bout that had very nearly ended with a Rasengan-hewn crater in the stone head of the Godaime Hokage, just recently carved into the cliff face next to her predecessors. The doctors had left them only a few moments previously, finally finished with their scolding.

Sasuke gingerly reached to fold his arms behind his head, wincing slightly. Staring at the ceiling, he muttered something under his breath.

Naruto turned his head and blinked at him, stupefied. "Whaaaaaaaa…?"

The last Uchiha repeated himself a little louder, still barely audible. "…Idiot," he added.

The blond's left eye twitched even as that huge grin of his spread across his face. "No problem… bastard."

"Fucker."

"Asshole."

"Dead-last."

"Why you—!"

When Sakura came in to check on them, she found them passed out on the floor, sporting fresh new bruises. Naruto still had his hands wrapped around Sasuke's neck.

"Men," their teammate grumbled, smiling even as she rolled her eyes.

Some things never changed.


	4. Hokage

Sasuke growled. "You're not trying hard enough, Naruto."

The blond didn't say anything. He was crouched and ready, a kunai in hand, but he seemed more than a little distracted today.

"Fight me with your all, dammit!" And he hurled one of the signature Uchiha fire jutsu at his opponent.

Naruto barely dodged it.

Grinding his teeth, Sasuke leapt smoothly down from the tree in which he'd been perched, approaching the other man. "What the hell's wrong with you today?"

"They're going to officially name me Hokage tomorrow," the blond said quietly, his blue eyes serious. "I don't really want to show up at the ceremony all banged up, and I'd prefer if you were also in decent health."

"Why?" his rival asked bluntly.

"Maybe I want you to be there in person instead of watching it on TV from a hospital bed, moron," the kyuubi's vessel snapped. "Ever think of that?"

The black-haired man was a little surprised, but his annoyance quickly overcame that. Their fighting had become addicting to him; he always wanted more, and if it didn't end in a horrifically violent manner, with one or both of them in need of stitches or splints, the former missing-nin was a very dangerous fellow — something Konohagakure had long since learned the hard way.

"Damn you!" he snarled, grabbing his former teammate by the shoulders and slamming him into a tree. He had to think of something to really rouse the other's anger…

Their faces were close, and hard blue eyes stared coldly into the crimson of the Sharingan. A deeply buried memory rose in his brain…

Sasuke awkwardly crushed his lips to Naruto's, slamming his head back against the tree trunk.

The blond froze.

Frustrated at the lack of response, Sasuke tried to force his way into the other man's mouth.

That jolted the future Hokage out of his reverie.

Uzumaki Naruto bit down hard on the black-haired man's tongue, tore away violently, and, with a howl of rage, brought his fist up to connect solidly with the last Uchiha's pale, pretty cheek.

Staggering back and spitting out the blood in his mouth, Sasuke smirked as the blond flew at him, slit-pupiled eyes filled with fury. It would be all brawling this time, but…

Mission accomplished.

* * *

On the day Uzumaki Naruto was named Rokudaime Hokage, he had a rather pronounced limp. Uchiha Sasuke, standing alone some distance away, squinted at him through a black eye, favouring his swollen ankle. Perhaps breaking the other man's leg had been a bad idea, because as good as the kyuubi's healing ability was, it took a little longer with bones.

This he knew from prior experience.

He also knew from prior experience that payback was going to be a bitch.

As long as Naruto's new status didn't change things, though, it was fine with him.

In a way, he was actually looking forward to it.


	5. Ramen

"Hokage-sama," the children chorused, bowing.

Their teacher smiled indulgently. "Go on, get out of here. We'll meet again at the bridge after lunch, all right?" As his three students ran off, he turned back to the other man. "It's been a while, Naruto-'nii-chan."

"It's all right, Konohamaru," replied the blond, grinning. "I understand genin students can be quite a handful. But since you spoke of lunch…" He gestured magnaminously. "Care to join us for some ramen?"

The Sandaime's grandson blinked. "Us— oh." He looked over the Rokudaime's shoulder at his living shadow.

Uchiha Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Um… sure," Konohamaru replied hastily. Falling into step beside the kyuubi's vessel, he whispered, "Why do you let him follow you around? He's not one of our shinobi, not anymore. Surely you could find an ANBU or two to guard you better than an S-class—"

"I'm guarding him as much as he's guarding me." Naruto's face was serious. "Since it's my job to insure the safety and well-being of Konohagakure, Sasuke is my number-one priority."

Konohamaru had nothing to say to that. It had been proven time and time again that Naruto was the only one who could subdue the Uchiha scion in a rage, unless several of the village's finest jounin and ANBU were removed from more important duties.

"Besides," the blond added, smirking, "he throws a fit whenever anyone tries to change things. He's as bad as an old mother hen… if mother hens go around regularly trying to peck their chicks to death." He chuckled.

Konohamaru glanced nervously back at the black-haired man.

Sasuke's eyes had gone flat, and he was glaring bloody murder at the village's new leader.

_Oh shit._

"Well," came a voice, "fancy this. Snotty little kids running the village, with S-class criminals serving as their bodyguards…" An overdone sigh. "I think that old biddy must've finally lost it completely."

"Ero-sen'nin!" Naruto yelled, storming up to the white-haired man sitting at the ramen stand. "Don't talk like that! I said I'd become Hokage, and I worked my ass off and did it!" He shook his fist in the old man's face. "You'd better listen to me!"

"Huh." Jiraiya stared down his nose at the blond. "Still just as loud and stupid as the Yondaime was, eh, brat?" He shook his head. "Well, whatever. Sit down and we'll catch up over a bowl or two of ramen. Your treat," he added, grinning.

Naruto scowled at that, but sat down anyway, gesturing for his companions to do the same.

* * *

"…and to think they're calling us the Elder San'nin now!" Jiraiya sighed dramatically. "It makes one feel like an old geezer, it does…"

"But you _are_ an old geezer, Ero-sen'nin," the new Hokage pointed out, grinning around the last of his fourth bowl of ramen.

The white-haired hermit smacked him upside the head. "Idiot," he grumbled, but he smiled as he said it.

"If you're the Elder San'nin, Jiraiya-sama," Konohamaru put in hesitantly, still casting worried glances at Sasuke, who hadn't taken his angry eyes off Naruto yet, "there must be— that is, who are the Younger San'nin?"

"Oh," the old man said carelessly, "just a few old students of ours. Nothing particularly spectacular."

Konohamaru mulled the thought over as he finished the last of his ramen. "Gochisou-sama," he sighed, pleasantly full, and rose. "I've got a few students of my own to go whip into shape." He nodded at them. "Later."

"Good luck, Konohamaru!" Naruto called after him, waving with his chopsticks.

Sasuke, who had remained silent throughout the meal, slammed down his bowl and stood up. "Old mother hen?" he ground out.

Blue eyes stared at him, full of mischievous laughter. "You have to admit you really do act like it sometimes… Sasuke-'kaa-chan."

The Uchiha's dark eyes flashed dangerously. "You are so going down for that," he declared.

The blond smirked. "You'll have to catch me first," he jeered.

They disappeared so fast that the empty bowls rattled in the wake of their passing.

Jiraiya stared after them in bemusement. "San'nin, my ass," he snorted, picking up his sake. "We were never that fucking crazy."

He paused with the cup halfway to his lips.

"…Then again, I guess we were."


	6. Nice Dream

_Sasuke collapsed to the ground with a groan, Naruto flopping down beside him. As the young Uchiha waited for his racing heart to slow, he listened to the panting of his sparring partner and smirked to himself. The regularity of their bouts had helped the dark-eyed youth build his endurance almost to the blond's high level. Half the time, now, they passed out from exhaustion before they could really beat each other that badly._

_Sasuke breathed deeply. Overlaying the sweet scent of the summer breeze were all those smells most familiar to him — the faint tang of blood and steel; the sharp odor of ozone that always lingered in the wake of chakra-fueled jutsu; the musky scent of sweat, the well-known blend of him and Naruto. Above the steadying breathing of his teammate, he could hear a few early crickets, and if he listened a little harder, he knew that distant yelling would be the sound of Sakura calling them to come to the festival that started at sundown._

_Sasuke realised with some surprise that he was filled with a contented peace, something he hadn't really felt since… well, since before his brother killed the clan._

_And he reflected upon it for a long moment, and it was good._

_Naruto heaved a giant sigh. "Hey, Sasuke… think we should head back? It's getting late…"_

_His companion grunted. "Too tired to move." He paused for a moment, then added, "Besides… it's a pretty nice evening."_

_Silence; then the blond replied, "Yeah, it is."_

_Sasuke stared up at the darkening sky. Almost of its own accord, his hand moved serpent-silent through the grass, slipping hesitantly into his rival's._

_Naruto looked over at him and, tightening his grip, smiled._

_As insignificant as it all seemed, the other youth somehow knew, deep inside, that this was Something Big. What it meant he didn't know, but in that warm summer evening that felt like forever, it didn't really matter._

_For the first time in long years, a genuine smile graced Uchiha Sasuke's lips._

* * *

The last Uchiha sat upright with a loud gasp, eyes wide and unseeing in the darkness. His hand fumbled at the back of his neck until he found the scar, formed by his own defacing of the curse seal that had once marked his skin. He ran his fingers over it for several long moments, wondering at how real the sensations had been, how it felt like he'd never left Konoha all those years ago…

"What a strange dream," he murmured.

In his bed on the other side of the room, Naruto grumbled something in his sleep and rolled over.


	7. Blood

Uchiha Sasuke had always been a light sleeper. Once again, life had given him a reason to be grateful for it.

He lay on his side on his small futon, a safe distance from the Hokage's spacious bed, and grasped a kunai as he listened to the sound of the intruder padding gently across the floor.

Ever so carefully, he rose from his blankets, the Sharingan already activated, allowing him to pinpoint his enemy in the darkness of the room.

Ever so quietly, he moved to the other side of the room, approaching his enemy with stealth a shadow would envy.

Ever so meticulously, he proceeded to rip his opponent to pieces.

Save his heavy breathing, Sasuke remained eerily silent through the process. It was only when the assassin finally died, letting out a gurgling whimper that echoed through the room, that Naruto sat bolt upright, whipping a kunai out from under his pillow.

"Sasuke? What is it?"

"It's nothing, O dead-to-the-world one," the last Uchiha snapped. "I've taken care of it. Go back to sleep."

Naruto turned the light on anyway, and flinched only slightly at the sight of the mangled corpse at the feet of his bloody rival. "Went a little overboard, don't you think?" he asked cautiously, noting the rage smouldering in the Sharingan's depths.

"She was trying to kill you," the black-haired man replied matter-of-factly, wiping his kunai clean with the edge of one of the blankets.

The blond shrugged. "It's an occupational hazard—"

Sasuke's eyes burned now, and his bloodstained hands grabbed the Hokage's bare shoulders roughly. "I don't care. Nobody can kill you — nobody will kill you but me. Only me! Do you understand?"

With the Uchiha's blood-spattered face so close, staring into the Sharingan was daunting, but Naruto would not look away. "If that's the case," he asked quietly, "why have you let me keep living?"

Surprise flickered briefly across Sasuke's face; then that old mask of coldness settled in its place. The Sharingan faded out as the pale man's hands fell to his sides and, turning on his heel, he briskly strode over to the bathroom, deliberately closing the door behind him.

Naruto shook his head as he heard the shower start running, and went to find someone to help clean the mess.

* * *

When Sasuke emerged from the bathroom, the corpse and all traces of it were gone, leaving only a faint lemony scent behind. He walked over to stand next to the Hokage's bed and looked down at its occupant.

"…I've always disapproved of killing people in their sleep," he finally said.

Naruto didn't even stir.

Sasuke snorted and went back to bed.

* * *

They were fighting not far from the village about a week later when the Rokudaime Hokage was struck from behind by several shuriken coated with a paralysis poison. Even as he fell to one knee with a grunt of surprise, his sparring partner dashed into the brush from whence the attack had come.

Uchiha Sasuke then proceeded to disembowel the startled would-be assassin with his bare hands.

Covered in blood up to his elbows, the Sharingan blazing angrily as they suspiciously darted from side to side in search of other targets, the dark-haired man reentered the clearing to crouch in front of his rival. His chest heaved as gulped in air, glaring fiercely at the blond.

Naruto looked back at him steadily, that same question still lingering in his blue eyes.

Suddenly feeling bone-weary, Sasuke let his head fall against the young Hokage's shoulder with a huge sigh. _The things I do for this idiot…_

Stiff fingers slowly came up to squeeze the last Uchiha's pale arm, just once. _Thank you… Sasuke._

When they finally started hobbling back to Konohagakure, they leaned on each other for support.


	8. Redemption

“Look, Sasuke,” the Rokudaime said suddenly from his place by the window of his office. “It’s snowing.”  
  
The last Uchiha grunted noncommittally, not looking up from the shinobigatana he was cleaning despite the fact that snow was a rather rare occurrence in the Fire Country. A few moments later, however, he found himself standing outside with the Hokage, who had removed his hat and tilted his face upward so the white flakes landed gently on his cheeks.  
  
After several minutes Naruto turned to look at him, his face red from the cold. “Do you remember that boy Haku?”  
  
Sasuke blinked a little, dislodging a few snowflakes from his lashes. _Boy? If he had lived, he’d be about our age now,_ his mind pointed out. “Hn,” was all he said.  
  
Naruto looked up again. “Every time it snows, I think of him,” he remarked, shoving his hands into the sleeves of his voluminous robe to warm them.  
  
They were both silent for a long moment, watching the grey sky.  
  
“He was like me, you know,” the blond said suddenly. “Alienated. Looked down upon. In his home country, the people were afraid of bloodline limits, and mistreated those who had them… people like him. But he left the Snow Country, and though the man with whom he associated himself made him even more of an outcast, he still had someone who cared about him, in his own strange way. That was more important to him than anything.  
  
“I wish the people of his homeland could have seen what a good person he was despite his frightening power.  
  
“I wish… As selfish as it is, I wish the same for some of the people of Konohagakure. I don’t think most of the older ones will ever forgive me for the transgressions of the Kyuubi sealed within me, no matter what I do for the village… even if I give my life for them,” Naruto remarked a little bitterly, turning to look at his pale companion, the wild mane of blond hair he’d let grow out making the Rokudaime resemble another Hokage who had sacrificed himself for his people.  
  
“And you, Sasuke… Even though you left Konohagakure behind for power, you eliminated two of the greatest threats to the security of our village. And yet when we brought you back, most of the village wanted you killed like any other dangerous missing-nin. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that many still do.  
  
“When it snows, it makes me wonder… why do we even bother? Everyone deserves a second chance. Why, then, won’t they give us one?”  
  
Uchiha Sasuke said nothing. After all, he had no answer, either.  
  


* * *

  


Sasuke awoke late the next day. The Rokudaime had already started his bath, and so the last Uchiha was left to his own devices for the time being… something many would consider dangerous.

His eye was caught by a storage chest in one corner. Though usually locked, it was now partially open, and a scrap of dark cloth hung out. Curious, he ventured to lift the lid further.

The chest mostly contained old clothes — a couple of ANBU uniforms with a grinning fox mask laid on top, one of the green vests worn by chuunin and jounin, several sets of that hideous orange jumpsuit Naruto had worn as a genin, a rather silly-looking pair of goggles…

Sasuke’s hand shook as he withdrew the object that had caught his eye.

The hitai-ate obviously had not seen much use – the cloth was unfaded and relatively clean, and the metal plate sewn onto it reflected the dark-haired man’s face much better than the battle-burnished ones worn by most of the shinobi Naruto’s age. This one, however, bore a deep scar across the metal plate, right through the middle of the stylised leaf that was the emblem of Konoha.

The last Uchiha sank down to sit on top of the chest’s lid, running over the score with his thumb, remembering how it had gotten there and wondering what had possessed Naruto to keep it all these years…

“Good morning,” Naruto said cheerfully as he reentered the room, toweling his hair briskly.

The Sharingan user started, and he quickly stuffed the hitai-ate into one of his pockets. “…I suppose so,” he replied vaguely, avoiding the Hokage’s gaze as he crossed the room to make use of the bath himself.

Blue eyes stared after him for a long moment before their owner shrugged and continued searching for his comb.


	9. Unwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This installment contains a brief mention of Neji/Hinata.

That winter was a harsh one for the Fire Country. A fever swept through the village of Konohagakure, laying low most of the inhabitants. The only one who was entirely unaffected was the Rokudaime Hokage, which surprised no one. After all, time had shown that the Kyuubi’s rapid-healing ability also heavily fortified the blond’s immune system.

Shivering violently despite the layers and layers of blankets surrounding him, Uchiha Sasuke cursed silently, wishing he could make his former teammate suffer like this, the too-loud, too-cheerful bastard.

“…none of them are available, what about…?”

The Sharingan user snuffled pathetically as he listened to the murmurs at the door. What was Naruto doing?

“…shouldn’t do it, for the baby’s sake… How are they, by the way? I haven’t seen Hinata since… well, since she became pregnant. I’ve been told Neji’s treating her well…”

Bored, Sasuke closed his dark eyes and tuned out the rest of the conversation. Eventually the door closed, and he listened to Naruto’s footsteps as he approached the great bed that was usually occupied by the Hokage. “What was that about?” he asked, the soreness in his throat making his voice rasp unpleasantly.

He felt the bed shift a little as the blond sat on the edge. “All the village’s medical personnel are focusing their efforts on getting our working shinobi better, so…”

Sasuke nodded. It made sense – no healthy ninja meant no missions, and no missions meant no money for the village. “O’ course. Why should they spare anyone for an S-class criminal?” he remarked dryly, his chuckle turning into a cough.

“Stop that,” Naruto said sharply. There was a clink of glass, the sound of something pouring, and then a cup held to his lips. “Drink this.”

“What is it?” the last Uchiha asked suspiciously.

“Sakura taught me some of the medical techniques she learned from Tsunade no ‘baa-chan. I’m no expert, but I know what to do to help someone recover from an illness like this. Most of it’s just a matter of your body working on its own to fight the sickness, but this should soothe your throat, perhaps bring down the fever a—”

“Don’t have a fever,” Sasuke insisted stubbornly.

“Right, and I’m Kakashi-sensei. Now drink, dammit.”

The dark-haired man decided to shut his mouth and do as he was told. After all, he was in no condition to kick Naruto’s ass today. Tomorrow, though…

* * *

Unfortunately for his plans, Uchiha Sasuke was wracked with alternating bouts of chills and fever for nearly a week, most of which he spent half-conscious.

Naruto remained by his side almost the entire time, catching snatches of sleep on a pallet on the floor, coaxing his former teammate to eat and take his medicine.

In his delirium, Sasuke was only really aware of gentle hands laying cool cloths on his brow, holding his hair back from his face while he retched, carefully sponging the fever-sweat from his unusually flushed skin, offering soothing touches when his delusions made him cry out.

“‘Kaa-san?” he asked once in a small voice, making a face at the taste of the bitter medicine he’d been given to quiet his cough.

“…No,” came the soft reply, definitely male.

“…Aniki?” he tried, the one word brimming with a peculiar mix of burning anger and desperate hope.

“Don’t be stupid,” the same voice retorted. “You killed him, remember?”

And Sasuke blinked fuzzily and try to think a little harder, but his head hurt and it was easier to just lie back and let those hands take care of him, and for once not have to worry about watching his back.

* * *

“…Naruto?”

The blond sat up in his makeshift bed and looked over at his patient. “You dreaming out loud again, Sasuke?”

Dark eyes, glassy with fever, stared at him. “Where’s my… my hitai-ate? It’s s’posed to be under my pillow, but I can’t find it…”

The Rokudaime’s hands guiltily twisted the sheet in his lap. “I’m afraid you lost it a while back,” he said finally.

“Oh… that’s no good.” His former teammate looked disappointed. “They prob’ly won’t give me another one, will they?”

“…No, Sasuke. I don’t think they will.”

* * *

“Thank you for doing this, Sakura,” Naruto murmured as his teammate entered the room. “I apologise for the inconvenience—”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the pink-haired woman interrupted. “Most of my patients are out of bed by now, and those who aren’t don’t need me anymore. Besides… I still owe you one.” She grinned crookedly. “You did promise me you’d bring him back, and as I recall, I never really thanked you…”

“When I made that promise, I was hoping that ‘thank you’ would be another date at Ichiraku, just the two of us.” He chuckled. “Times change, I suppose.”

Green eyes softened a little, thoughtful. “They do indeed.”

The Hokage’s hand strayed to a pocket in his robes, where it paused for a moment — and then Naruto pulled out something that glinted once in the light as he laid it on the bed beside his dozing rival. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

Sakura nodded. “Congratulate Hinata for me?”

“Of course,” the blond called over his shoulder. “For all of Team 7.”

A sad half-smile appeared on her lips as she closed the door behind him. “All of Team 7…?” She sighed, crossing the room to examine her patient. “Let’s take a look at our missing piece, then—”

Uchiha Sasuke stared up at her almost challengingly, seeming much more lucid than Naruto’s description of his condition had led the medi-nin to expect. One white-knuckled hand clutched a scarred hitai-ate to his chest, and she was certain that if she’d been able to loosen his grip, the broken lines of the stylised Konoha leaf would be etched both upon the metal and in his palm.

Haruno Sakura lowered her gaze and began her work without comment.

“Hn,” went the last Uchiha, and he closed his eyes and let healing sleep overtake him.


	10. Secrets

Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
“Get off my bed.”  
  
Uchiha Sasuke paused in his experimentation just long enough to respond. “Why? You’re not using it.” Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
Footsteps as the Rokudaime Hokage approached his carelessly sprawled rival and watched his messy attempts at the jutsu only three had ever mastered. “You’re never going to be able to do it that way,” he commented.  
  
The chakra dissipated. “Then how do I do it, smartass?” Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
A snort. “Why should I tell you, bastard?”  
  
The chakra dissipated. There was a challenging edge to the last Uchiha’s voice now. “You know I’ll pick it up eventually.” All they had to do was keep fighting; the Sharingan had never failed him, and damned if he’d let it start now. It was only a matter of time.  
  
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
“…I don’t think so.”  
  
The chakra dissipated. Sasuke was getting frustrated, but resolved not to show it. “Why not?” Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
“There are some secrets that no eyes can discover, no matter their power,” Uzumaki Naruto replied mysteriously. There was a rustling as he donned the Hokage’s long robes.  
  
The chakra dissipated. “…That was probably the corniest thing I’ve heard since Kakashi-sensei’s whole ‘underneath the underneath’ bullshit.” Concentrate. The chakra whirled—  
  
A well-aimed towel hit Sasuke in the face, and the smell of ozone and burnt cloth filled the air. “Fuck!” the black-haired man snarled, shoving the charred fabric onto the floor. “Be a little more careful, asshole, okay?”  
  
The blond shrugged in response.  
  
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
“Corny, yeah,” Naruto said off-handedly, “but both of us know it’s true.”  
  
The chakra dissipated. Sasuke said nothing, but his mouth twisted in an ironic smile.  
  
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.  
  
Footsteps as the Hokage moved away. “Get off your lazy ass and let’s go already. We’re late enough as it is.”  
  
The last Uchiha made a face at the irregular, unstable thing he held in his hand, and lobbed it at his rival’s back.  
  
Naruto snagged the proto-Rasengan right out of the air, only to have the chakra dissipate the moment he caught hold of it. “Gee, Sasuke, I didn’t know you could pull something like that off. Your mastery of that jutsu is spectacular.” He turned, and looked scornfully at the black-haired man. “Stop fucking around and let’s go.”  
  
Uchiha Sasuke had other ideas, though.  
  


* * *

  


Uzumaki Naruto let out a huge sigh as he frowned at the hole in the wall where the door once was. “Dammit, Sasuke,” he grunted as he staggered to his feet, grabbing the cracked plaster for support. “When are you going to stop this childish bullshit?”

The black-haired man very slowly eased himself into a sitting position and carefully began counting how many ribs he’d broken this time, deliberately ignoring his rival.

Naruto gingerly tried to rest some weight on his right leg, and winced. “You broke it again, asshole,” he said accusingly. “I’m not going to be able to walk straight for a week.”

Pale lips flecked with dark, precious, rare Uchiha blood smirked at him. “You’ve been asking for it for a while.”

The Hokage rolled his eyes as he limped over to his former teammate. “Let’s just go find Sakura. I don’t think they’d appreciate it if we showed up at the office like this, na?”

Sasuke stared at the calloused palm in front of his face, then looked up at the man offering it to him.

From Naruto’s expression, one would never have been able to tell they’d been engaged in such a violent struggle just moments before. His blue eyes held no malice in them, just a little pain lurking behind warm, slightly amused affection.

Wordlessly, the last Uchiha took the Rokudaime’s hand.

…He let go once they’d gotten outside, though. After all, he did have a reputation to maintain.


	11. Rewrite

  
Uchiha Sasuke sat up with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat, chest heaving. The Sharingan had activated automatically, and in the faint, grey predawn light he could see the Hokage, standing by the window, pause in the fastening of his jounin vest and turn towards him with that damn sympathetic expression. “Sasuke…?”  
  
“Don’t fucking look at me like that!” he snapped.  
  
Naruto’s eyes hardened, and he scowled a little. “Fine. Fuck me for trying to give a shit.”  
  
Sasuke glared at him a moment longer, then lay back down as if he were going back to sleep… as if he didn’t care why the Kyuubi’s vessel was awake this early when he usually never rose before the sun.  
  
But Naruto knew him better than that.  
  
“I’m leaving the village for a while,” he commented casually, never turning from the window.  
  
Sasuke was interested in spite of himself. The Rokudaime hadn’t left Konohagakure in almost a year… since his last ANBU mission had brought back a lost child of the village, unconscious and in chains. “Why?” he asked.  
  
A long pause. “…There’s something I need to take care of.”  
  
Almost before thinking, Sasuke had disentangled himself from his blankets and dressed in the utilitarian garb he’d adapted since his return to Konoha: a uniform that, like those outfits of his childhood, bore no insignia save the symbol of a clan doomed to extinction by its last sons.  
  
“What are you doing, Sasuke?”  
  
The Sharingan user paused in the act of slipping his scarred hitai-ate into its customary pocket. “Coming with you, of course. They don’t trust me alone, or haven’t you noticed?” His eyes narrowed. “Still… won’t they be upset that their precious Hokage is running off?”  
  
“I don’t think so,” came the reply, and Naruto turned to face him, his eyes glowing softly, eerily, like a fox’s in the light. “They should be used to this by now.”  
  


* * *

  


Sasuke wasn’t sure where he’d expected to be going… and thus was a little surprised when the Hokage led him out the north gate, toward ruined Otogakure… the Sound village.

He looked questioningly at Naruto, but the Rokudaime said nothing as they set out, moving at high speed even for shinobi of their level.

After a couple hours, they passed a stretch in the middle of the forest that looked to have been struck by an earthquake, huge pits and piles of rubble leaving scars in the land.

Sasuke looked questioningly at Naruto, but the blond said nothing as they continued on.

It was almost midday when they passed a wide swath of destruction, seeing the weak sun for the first time in hours. The remains of dozens upon dozens of trees, severed cleanly in half by some unknown force, lay rotting among their own stumps, and here and there a brave young sapling strove for the heights its parent had reached.

Sasuke looked questioningly at Naruto, but the Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki said nothing as they continued on.

The clouds had grown darker and thicker by that afternoon, when they passed through a dense thicket of white spikes rising out of a great lake of sand. The last Uchiha was a little unnerved to discover, after touching one, that the projections were bleached bone.

He looked questioningly at Naruto, but his rival only glanced at a skeletal torso that seemed to grow out of the highest spike like some macabre flower, and said nothing as they continued on.

There was an ominous rumbling in the distance when they reached the edge of the vast forest. As they picked their way among the rocky paths, it sounded almost like thunder, but when they finally stopped…

They stood, as they had once before, in a valley at the border of the Fire Country. The sound they’d been hearing the past several minutes had been the steady roar of the great waterfall that cascaded to the stone feet of two enormous statues whose unseeing eyes stared impassively at each other across the rushing river.

Sasuke stared at the scene for a long, long moment, then gazed back over his shoulder at his rival, dark eyes hooded.

For the first time since they’d left Konohagakure, Naruto spoke.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been thirteen years since that day, isn’t it?” He walked forward to stand next to the black-haired man, looking at the gaping pits and gashes in the rock that had softened slightly with time and weather. “I’ve come here every year since, and wondered what I could have done…”

The Hokage was silent for a long time.

Then… “Put on your hitai-ate.”

With deliberate slowness, Sasuke did so.

It was the same fight, and yet completely new. The steps of their deadly dance, vividly remembered, were unchanged — but the increase in their power, speed, and skill made this a remarkably different game, and their emotions…

It was almost cathartic.

They came together with the same explosive force that had marked the end of that last battle — and were left staring at each other across the violently roiling waters of the river.

Naruto grinned ferally, and Sasuke smirked back.

_Shall we continue?_

_Of course._

* * *

  
When the rain started Naruto ignored it, too intent on the battle to care. Sasuke, though, froze, straightening from his fighting stance.

The blond swore, barely checking himself so he didn’t disembowel his sparring partner. “Fuck, Sasuke, you want to die, or—?”

But his rival, ignoring him, had taken off his hitae-ate and stood gazing heavenwards. Naruto couldn’t quite decipher his expression, but there was something about that look in his eyes…

“What is it?”

He looked down. “Sometimes, I…”

Naruto’s eyes asked the inevitable question.

Sasuke shook his head, scattering raindrops. “Never mind,” he replied, turning back to the sky.

Naruto didn’t press the issue. He simply stood in silence, watching the last Uchiha as he stood motionless with his face tilted up to the rain, eyes closed, rivulets of crystal running down his pale, pale cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is on indefinite hiatus and unlikely to be continued at this point, as I’ve pretty much fallen out of the Naruto fandom. Still, I’d like to thank you for all your wonderful reviews and support as I’ve written it. And who knows, maybe someday I'll pin down enough of those wisps of ideas to hammer out that last chapter.


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